Search results for "Homogeneous"

Optical properties of different polymer thin films containing in situ synthesized Ag and Au nanoparticles

2009

Here we report on the in situ synthesis of Ag and Au nanoparticles inside several polymer matrixes by solid-state chemical reduction of a metallic salt. Poly(ethyleneimine) (PEI), poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA), poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP), novolak, poly(4-vinylphenol) (P4VP), poly(4-vinylphenol)-co-(methyl methacrylate) (P4VP-co-MMA) and poly(styrene-co-allyl alcohol) (PS-co-AA) were able to reduce Ag(I) and Au(III) to the corresponding nanoparticles during the baking process. The nanoparticle diameters of Ag and Au were found to range from 2 to 25 nm. TEM also indicated a uniform distribution of nanoparticles embedded in the thin film. This approach is suitable for controlling t…

Structure and reactivity of a mononuclear gold(II) complex.

2017

Mononuclear gold(II) complexes are very rare labile species. Transient gold(II) species have been suggested in homogeneous catalysis and in medical applications, but their geometric and electronic structures have remained essentially unexplored: even fundamental data, such as the ionic radius of gold(II), are unknown. Now, an unprecedentedly stable neutral gold(II) complex of a porphyrin derivative has been isolated, and its structural and spectroscopic features determined. The gold atom adopts a 2+2 coordination mode in between those of gold(III) (four-coordinate square planar) and gold(I) (two-coordinate linear), owing to a second-order Jahn–Teller distortion enabled by the relativistical…

A model for polybutadiene coatings on porous silica

1993

Non-wetting viscous liquids such as oligobutadiene prefer “active” sites such as pores during the process of physisorption. Thus, polybutadiene (PBD) coatings on porous silica do not result in a homogeneous polymer film but in an inhomogeneous loading where the bulk polymer is mainly sited in the pores of the silica. An increasing polymer loading leads to increasingly filled pores instead of a thicker polymer film. We cannot exclude the possibility that most of the surface is covered at least with a thin polymer film since the chromatographic behaviour is relatively good for polypeptides, which are highly susceptible to the silanol groups of silica.

Stratification of polymer mixtures in drying droplets: Hydrodynamics and diffusion

2020

We study the evaporation-induced stratification of a mixture of short and long polymer chains in a drying droplet using molecular simulations. We systematically investigate the effects of hydrodynamic interactions (HI) on this process by comparing hybrid simulations accounting for HI between polymers through the multiparticle collision dynamics technique with free-draining Langevin dynamics simulations neglecting the same. We find that the dried supraparticle morphologies are homogeneous when HI are included but are stratified in core--shell structures (with the short polymers forming the shell) when HI are neglected. The simulation methodology unambiguously attributes this difference to th…

Recycling of high density polyethylene containers

1997

The recycling of homogeneous high density polyethylene from containers for liquids gives rise to materials having mechanical properties that are strongly dependent on the reprocessing apparatus and the processing conditions. The thermomechanical degradation during processing gives rise to different modifications of the structure depending on the temperature, residence time and applied stress. In general, it is possible to say that if the reprocessing operations are carried out in apparatus with low residence time, the mechanical and rheological properties of the raw materials are only slightly influenced by the recycling operations. Significant degradation phenomena and reduction of some me…

The role of additives in the recycling of polymers

1998

The main problems in post-consumer plastics recycling are due to the degradation undergone by the polymers during processing steps and by the products during their lifetime and, for heterogeneous recycling, to the incompatibility of different polymers. To reduce the negative effects of the recycling steps, two main ways can be adopted for homogeneous materials: restabilization during the recycling to avoid or at least to slow the degradation and addition of fillers and modifiers capable of improving the performance of thermoplastic polymers without increasing the final cost of the secondary material. In the case of mixed plastics, compatibilization is the necessary step to obtain secondary …

Dynamics of phase separation and critical phenomena in polymer mixtures

1987

The phenomenological mean-field theory for statics and dynamics of polymer mixtures is described, generalizing the approaches of Flory-Huggins, Cahn-Hilliard and de Gennes. Predictions are made for critical behavior, spinodal decomposition and homogeneous nucleation. The validity of the mean-field approximations is discussed with Ginzburg criteria. The results of the theory are compared to computer simulations and recent experiments.

Economical device for measuring thickness of a thin polymer film

1994

An inexpensive device (about $2K) for thickness measurements of thin (<1 μm) polymer films has been constructed. The homogeneous film is placed on a bulk substrate and three semiconductor lasers of different wavelengths are used to measure the reflectances at normal incidence. The thickness can be deduced with typically 4–8 nm uncertainty.

Soluble Single-Molecule Nanogels of Controlled Structure as a Matrix for Efficient Artificial Enzymes

2006

Films of Halloysite Nanotubes Sandwiched between Two Layers of Biopolymer: From the Morphology to the Dielectric, Thermal, Transparency, and Wettabil…

2011

This study focused on the preparation and characterization of films based on biopolymers (hydroxypropylcellulose and low methoxyl pectin) and halloysite nanotubes (HNTs). The morphology is strongly dependent on the polymer nature. In particular, we observed a sandwich-like structure composed of two hydroxypropylcellulose layers incorporating the HNTs and a homogeneous distribution of the nanotubes into the low methoxyl pectin matrix. The different mesoscopic properties were invoked to explain the dielectric, thermal, and wettability properties of the corresponding films. Nanocomposites obtained by combining materials from renewable resources and HNTs is a challenging task in view of designi…